Mississippi State is halfway to qualifying for a bowl game as they enter the bye week.

The Bulldogs have to find a way to win three times over their next five games so Dan Mullen is spending most of his open date week getting younger guys prepared to help his team become bowl eligible down the stretch.

"During the bye week we are really using this opportunity to really work on some fundamentals and get back to basics with our guys," Mullen said. "We need to get some of our younger some experience and continue to get them reps as we move into the second half of the season. After the bye week want to see improvement off of all of those fundamentals offensively, defensively and in the kicking game to just execute at a much cleaner and higher level."

One player that is already playing at a high level for Mullen is Johnthan Banks. The junior cornerback is leading the nation with 13 pass defended and second in the country with five interceptions on the year.

Banks has already moved into second place in school history with a dozen interceptions.